Marayoor: A person who assisted a man in depositing money in the Cash Deposit Machine (CDM) proceeded to steal Rs 74,000 from him. 

The fraud took place at the ATM in front of the Marayoor State Bank of India branch at 10:30 am on Thursday. 

Durairaj, a resident of Kanthallur, was a victim of the fraud. As the branch was busy, Durairaj visited the ATM to transfer money to relatives. Since he was not familiar with using the CDM, he sought the help of a stranger.

After asking for Durairaj's ATM PIN, the man deposited the money. The stranger even helped Durairaj check the balance amount in his account. Unfortunately, Durairaj was unaware that the fraudster had replaced his original ATM card with a counterfeit one, resulting in the theft of his genuine card. Without knowing this, Durairaj went home. 

When Durairaj came back to the bank on Friday morning, he noticed that the card was different. On checking his account, he found that Rs 74,000 had been withdrawn on Thursday and Friday.

The money was withdrawn from an ATM counter at Mattuthavani near Madurai. Durairaj has lodged a complaint with the Marayoor police, who have begun investigations by checking the CCTV footage.